With his upcoming special appearance in the Dec. 8 episode of Discovery Channel’s "MythBusters" to promote math and science education, President Barack Obama is making one thing clear: He really likes being counted as “one of us.”
And it’s a good thing.
First there was his appearance last May on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Then there was his stint on The View in July, followed by his recent exchanges with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, in which Stewart, at one point, candidly referred to the president as “dude.” He sat down with Rolling Stones magazine last month, and was also interviewed by celebrity MC Ryan Seacrest on the day of the midterm elections.
This is the first time in history that an acting president has so willingly stepped into the pop culture limelight. Critics have been quick to dismiss these acts as degrading, misguided and a waste of time.
Simply put, they’re wrong.
As the face of media transforms, it’s crucial that the communication methods of the president follow suit. Imagine if, in this pop culture-infused digital age, President Obama merely depended on the annual state of the union address and newspaper headlines to reach the American people. That would be just about as effective as delivering a heartfelt speech to a snoozing crowd. It’s outdated and pointless.
It would be misguided to dismiss pop culture as irrelevant because let’s face it: Pop culture is what America pays attention to.
And so, the President of the United States is making leaps and bounds to meet us where the majority of America is: buried headfirst in celebrity culture, the internet and popular TV shows. And there, he delivers his message, promotes his political agenda, and raises awareness about the current state of national affairs.
On the other hand, what about Sarah Palin's new, self-promoting, reality Alaska TV show on TLC? Now that's a different story.
Obama and the White House aren’t the only benefactors of his active participation in pop culture. We are, as well.
It’s like this: The old-fashioned ways of the president’s public dialogue work like a production. It takes months of preparation for a well-equipped, able staff and crew to produce the performance. The hired speechwriter writes pretty words, and the president reads them as his own. It’s a largely contrived process.
On the other hand, the president’s appearances on the Tonight Show, the Daily Show and The View are like improv performances—he comes before the audience, raw and unrehearsed, depending only on his wit as he can only guess how the night will unfold.
This is usually the best indicator of one’s persona, intelligence and capabilities. It forces the subject to be real—and vulnerable—without the layers of formalities and publicists. None of us have forgotten former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s brilliant and light-shedding interview with Katie Couric back in ‘08, have we?
Obama’s own interview with the quick-witted Stewart was also a tough night filled with hardball questions and a no-nonsense audience. At one point, Stewart asked Obama if he would alter his famous slogan “Yes We Can” to “Yes We Can…Given Certain Conditions”—in tune with the nation’s current political gridlock. Obama stammered in response, “I think what I would say is yes we can, but… but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
That Obama would repeatedly place himself in vulnerable positions like this one shows that he is confident in his policies and in his aptitude as commander-in-chief.
The coming together of pop culture and politics is not a novel concept, but no acting U.S. president before Obama has ever embraced it like he does. And he does it quite well.
I do think that Obama is doing a great job of using different platforms to reach out to the American people. However, I think it is important to also maintain a sense of balance and still appeal to traditional media outlets like newspapers. I love pop culture and late night talk shows but I don't think that they are Obama's version of the Fireside Chats- there is something less serious about these types of shows so it is necessary for Obama to still do traditional interviews in order to appear accessible but also be respected.
ReplyDeleteI also understand what you mean in terms of late nights shows and The View seeming more like improv but the questions have definitely been discussed beforehand and are much more rehearsed than they appear.
Kate -- I agree that the president should maintain a level of respect as the leader of our country by keeping traditional media as a top priority method of reaching out to his constituents. He should never forgo that over his periodic appearances in pop culture.
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted, though, that although his late night talks and stints in pop culture tend to be less serious than the traditional methods, he still maintains respect and integrity by getting his political messages across. Yes, he discusses his favorite bands and his daughters' halloween costumes on the side, but that's not his primary incentive. Rather, his incentive is reaching out to an often-ignored demographic in American politics by sharing his policies and dispelling voter apathy.
I find Obama's tactics interesting. He knows that with his re-election campaign now becoming the focus, he must find a way to re-ignite the voters who came out to see him. That is how I view his celebrity sweep of interviews: a ploy to appear, once again, as the celebrity candidate of 2008. He knows that this generally apathetic base elected him in 2008 and wants to be re-elected in 2012.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I agree with Kate that Obama must also appeal to traditional media outlets because, if he is being honest with the country, those are the people who are going to vote. The people who watch the news and read the papers (whether online or not) are the people with a sense of civic duty, who will vote in the election. These are the people Obama should be courting.